Don't Eat the Daisies!
by imayb1
Summary: This will be the latest continuation of my ABC Gravi series, but it does stand on its own. Set after the series (manga and anime) so there are spoilers. Eiri and Shu consider adopting and of course, there are significant obstacles...
1. It's a Monday

Don't Eat the Dasies!  
  
A new fic begins! This will be the latest continuation of (in backwards order) 'Commitment', 'Bad Luck for Bad Luck?' and 'Authors Have Parties, Too?' but I promise that this, too, will stand on its own. All four are set after the series (manga and anime) so there are bound to be spoilers. . . it just happens that way.  
  
I appreciate all criticism, so please read, enjoy, and review. To those who do review: THANK YOU!!  
  
Disclaimer: I think it's obvious that I don't own Gravitation. I'm borrowing characters from Maki Murakami. My stories are for fun, not profit. Shonen-ai, swearing; PG rating.  
  
~ Don't Eat the Dasies! ~  
  
Part 1: It's a Monday.  
  
". . . No, mom, I really don't think that's necessary." Shuichi was pacing back and forth across the living room floor, cell phone to his ear. Eiri could almost swear he was wearing a V-patterned groove in the floor. He walked from the hallway door, toward his computer, turned to pace in front of the deck windows, moving toward the kitchen door; then he turned again and paced the pattern backward. "Okay, I'll ask him, but I'm telling you . . ." The pink-haired pop-star turned toward Eiri, where the writer sat on the couch. He looked up from his reading, frowning. "Eiri, my mom wants to throw us a party. You know, to celebrate the wedding?"  
  
Eiri frowned harder, blond brows drawing down over clear golden eyes. He wasn't looking forward to Shuichi's mother's next set of hysterics over her lack of grandchildren. "Why?" He asked, suspecting a trap.  
  
Shu rolled his eyes and covered the phone, holding it against his stomach. "She wants to have a wedding reception, you know? With no plans for Maiko to get married soon, she's pushing." Shuichi shook his head. "Never mind, I'll just tell her 'no'." He brought the phone back up to his mouth and started pacing again. "Mom? No. . . . No. Mom, what do you mean, you already invited the neighbors?!" Eiri looked up at his new husband, watching him and taking more interest in following the conversation. "Mother! Not . . . NO. N--" Shuichi was the type of person who would have tangled himself in phone cords before the advent of wireless phones. He twirled and paced and wouldn't meet Eiri's eyes. He was shaking his head and looking at the floor.  
  
"Shuichi?" Eiri called. The kid's blue-violet eyes turned toward him like a lodestone. He looked a little paniced. Eiri could just hear the voice of his mother-in-law, howling into the reciever. "Hang up," he suggested. "She'll call back when she's coherent."  
  
"I can't do that!" Shuichi said, eyes wide with disbelief at the idea that he could do that to his mother.  
  
Eiri gave him a sly look, lowering his book and removing his glasses. "Give me the phone." He uncrossed his legs and laid both book and glasses on the coffee table.  
  
"Eiri? What are you going to do?"  
  
"Let me talk to her," he said mildly. Shuichi reluctantly handed him the phone. The woman's wailing was worse than her son's. "Shindou-san?" he said. She blubbered. "We do not need a formal reception. If you would like to throw a party with your neighbors, maybe we could come for a little while." The noise on the other end of the phone stopped, cut off more swiftly than if they had been dis-connected. She started blathering about how that would be fine and Eiri held the phone out to Shuichi. "All fine," he said.  
  
Shuichi accepted the phone in wonder. He smiled in thanks at his husband. "Mom?"  
  
"Be sure to get the date and time from her," Eiri instructed. Shuichi had a tendancy to forget details like that.  
  
Shuichi nodded to him. "Okay. Yeah. No, Mom, no oil lamps! [1] A blessing!?" Eiri scraped one hand through his loose blond hair. That woman wasn't giving up easily. Her son was a lot like her. Shuichi was shaking his head and pulling at his hair. "She thinks we should go and get blessed, too!" he said to Eiri with deep exasperation.  
  
Eiri shook his head. Most Buddhists sought a priest's blessing after getting married, but he and Shuichi had decided not to. Since they were married in San Francisco, last Friday, it seemed as if everyone had pointed out the need to *not* skip the traditional blessing. They could have gone to a Buddhist temple in the 'States— there were several in the bay area— but they had decided that since they'd been married American-style, they would be satisfied with that.  
  
Privately, Eiri thought Shuichi was just afraid of being blessed again. The last time he'd been blessed, Shuichi had been afraid of bad luck. He had convinced Eiri and Tatsuha to perform a blessing for him. The next day, old Uesugi was dead. Shuichi had blamed himself for 'sending' bad luck to the brothers and inadvertantly killing their father. Now, Shu was enjoying a run of good luck. The gullible idiot probably figured that If he was blessed, his good luck would rub off on the priest who blessed him— them.  
  
Eiri shrugged. "Just tell her 'no'."  
  
Shu sighed heavily. "M-- Mom— No. Mom . . . Ahhhrrrg!" He plopped onto the floor. "No, no, no, no . . . Mom, stop crying!"  
  
This could go on for a while, Eiri thought. He walked into the kitchen to make tea. While he waited for the water to boil, he poked around in the cupboards for something dinner-like. He set out a box of noodles and checked the refridgerator. The meat had gone bad and the veggies looked sad and sickly. He threw them all in the trash.  
  
A few minutes later, Shuichi came in, kicking the door stopper to make it stay open. He leaned in the door frame and yawned. A glance at the mircrowave told Eiri it was almost 9 p.m.. San Francisco had a sixteen hour time difference and they had only returned late last night. As a result of sleeping on the plane, Shu had been up all night and gone in to work for a full day today on little sleep. While neither of them had ever kept 'normal' hours, they were still adjusting. "She's planning on April third, at 3:00," he stated.  
  
Eiri nodded and stuck the noodle box back in the cupboard. "You need to do some grocery shopping." He removed the tea kettle from the stove, pouring the water into the teapot. "Do you want some?"  
  
"Mm. Yeah, what kind is it?" Shu asked, propelling himself off the doorway.  
  
"It's that stuff you bought— in the blue cannister." Eiri grabbed one of Shu's mugs and set it on the counter, waiting for the tea to steep. "Did your mom bring up grandchildren again?"  
  
"No, thank god," Shu replied, slipping his arms around Eiri's midsection and resting his head against his chest.  
  
"Get off," he said. Shu made a whiney sound, but didn't budge. Eiri pushed him back, but he resisted, clinging. "Tell me what your mother is planning and get off of me." Eiri pulled at his t-shirt.  
  
Shuichi looked up at his face, still wrapped around him. "But you're warm."  
  
"Idiot. You're the one wearing a short-sleeved shirt and shorts."  
  
Shu pouted. "That's because I have to do laundry."  
  
Eiri gave in, putting one arm around his shoulders. He sighed in defeat. "So what is she up to?"  
  
"I don't know. I don't want her to make a big deal . . ."  
  
"Even though you know she will," Eiri concluded. "What about the grandchildren issue?"  
  
Shu pulled away, to stand before him, small fists on his hips. He was frowning. "*You* keep bringing it up! What are *you* getting at?"  
  
Eiri turned and poured the tea. Shu seemed to keep avoiding the conversation. He had to know what Shuichi thought about kids. The topic had come up briefly after he had proposed, but Shu denied a desire for kids while admitting that he hadn't really considered it.  
  
"Damnit, Eiri!" Shu stomped his foot. "I thought you weren't interested in having kids. Are you . . . do you already regret—"  
  
Eiri spun around again to face his husband, alarmed that he could even mention such doubts. "Shuichi! No! You idiot!! I keep bringing it up because you keep avoiding it!"  
  
"Because *I* can't give you children!!" Shuichi burst into helpless tears.  
  
"I know that! Geez! That's not what I was asking at all." Eiri pulled Shuichi to him, gathering his small, shaking, frame against his chest. Shu's hands wadded up in his shirt along each of his sides.  
  
"I don't want you to sleep with some chic just to get kids, either," Shu confessed between sobs. "You're mine, now; really, really mine. You promised!" Shuichi squeezed him tightly.  
  
Eiri was incensed. "Why do you have to be so dense?! You think I'm going to forget those promises?? Damnit! I made them three days ago and I meant them!"  
  
"It hurts, Eiri," he whined. "When you keep asking, it's like . . . salt in a wound. If you want kids, I-I can't give you any!" His weeping intensified.  
  
"Shhhh." He stroked Shuichi's hair gently, trying to calm him. He hadn't even considered that the question would be a painful subject for the singer. Eiri wrote about love affairs and romance, but sometimes, he felt completely oblivious to his own immediate surroundings. "It doesn't matter, Shu-han. I don't want kids. I think we're both too busy to bother. I was asking to find out what *you* want."  
  
Shu's sobbing lessened. He said, "I'd like kids, I think," he said hesitantly. Eiri heard an odd yearning in his voice, but the kid banished it, saying, "But you're right; we're both too busy. What kind of parents would we make, anyway?" He sniffled and chuckled a little. "I didn't want to think about you wanti— "  
  
"Then don't," Eiri growled. Shu giggled and hugged him again. His moods were almost mercurial. There was no guessing what would happen next. So, Shu did want children. Eiri didn't, really. The only option for them would be to adopt. Eiri frowned, deep in thought. He said, "Your mother will just have to pin her hopes on your reluctant sister, Maiko."  
  
"Yeah!" Shu agreed. He let go of Eiri and grabbed a dish cloth to wipe his face. He was so much like a kid, himself. Shu he looked in the refridgerator. "I'm hungry. Do we have anything to eat?"  
  
Eiri rolled his eyes. "No. I just told you that you need to go grocery shopping."  
  
"Oh, yeah." He let the refridgerator door fall shut. "Let's get a pizza!" He threw his hands up in the air like a cheer, still holding the dish cloth.  
  
"We're out of tabasco sauce," he reminded. As far as Shu was concerned, pizza wasn't any good without tabasco sauce.  
  
Shu's shoulders slumped, hands falling to his sides. "Oh."  
  
"Why don't you just call and order some sashimi for both of us? I'll make some rice to go with it."  
  
"Okay!" Shuichi yawned widely and dialed the local Japanese restaurant from memory.  
  
Eiri set a pot of water on the stove to boil, feeling conflicted. He would feel better knowing that the two of them could present a united front against having children. Why was it that as soon as two people married, the production of children was considered obligatory? He silently cursed the nosiness of others. He was sure there were many nosy people who would be questioning them. . . Eiri wasn't sure what he wanted to do about this.  
  
***  
  
[1] traditionally, during a wedding reception, oil lamps at each table are lit by the bride and groom.  
  
***  
  
Author's Notes: To all of my devoted reviewers from Commitment: thank you so much!! I really wasn't going to give them kids. I couldn't really see it . . . but several of you thought it would be a good idea. So . . . I re- evaluated and here it is. I am posting the first three chapters here as an intentional teaser. Because of later content (which is disallowed by ff.net), I urge adults to finish reading all the chapters at gurabiteshiyon.net. Look for me there as "Aja". 


	2. Tuesday

Disclaimer: I think it's obvious that I don't own Gravitation. I'm borrowing characters from Maki Murakami. My stories are for fun, not profit.  
  
I appreciate all criticism, so please read, enjoy, and review. To those who do review: THANK YOU!!  
  
~ Don't Eat the Dasies! ~  
  
Part 2: Tuesday  
  
Hiro watched his best friend, Shuichi, across the table. They were having lunch at their favorite diner, near NG's headquarters. Shu's head was bent so far over his notebook that his pink hair trailed in the food and soy sauce on his plate. "What are you so focused on?" Hiro asked.  
  
Shu's head popped up. He wore the same gigantic, goofy smile that he'd worn since he'd come in to work, Monday morning. His large blue-violet eyes shined over the top edge of dark sunglasses. "I'm working on a new song!"  
  
Hiro sucked on his drink's straw, looking at his friend as if to say, 'and . . .'  
  
Shuichi grabbed some french fries and slapped his notebook shut. "This will be really great . . . when it's finished . . ." He looked a little unsure, one eyebrow moving into a frown.  
  
"You get stuck?"  
  
"NO!" Shu shouted. He jumped up on his chair. "I promise! This song will be the best--- ahhg!"  
  
Hiro kicked the chair out from underneath him, causing him to crash, but preventing him from announcing 'Bad Luck band members are sitting right here!' Other customers turned to see what the commotion and the crash was. Hiro leaned over to look at Shuichi, sprawled across the floor. He was rubbing his head, looking surprised. "Shhhh! We don't need a mob attacking us at lunch," Hiro whispered harshly.  
  
Shu gave him a lopsided grin. "Uh, yeah. I guess you're right." He turned his chair right side up and announced loudly, "Sorry. I'm clumsy!" Patrons shook their heads and turned back to their own lunches. Shu settled back into his chair and sighed. "Hiro, I'm just so happy! I want to make a song for Eiri that lets him know just how happy I am! I mean he's been so sweet and . . . "  
  
Hiro had been hearing almost non-stop happiness mush from his friend since he'd come back from California, in the U.S.. The singer/songwriter had called late Sunday night to tell him all about his trip and how wonderful Friday's wedding ceremony had been. Today was Tuesday and Hiro had heard more than enough about it. He was happy for them. Really. Jealous? Well, maybe . . . not of Shuichi or even his husband, novelist Yuki Eiri, but he envied their insouciance. The two of them were in love, so they side- stepped Japanese traditions and tied themselves together by the laws of another country that wouldn't reject their claims on each other.  
  
Meanwhile, he was courting the only daughter of Kyoto's Ryuganji Temple family. As a rock star, he hardly measured up to 'suitable' for Usami Ayaka. Nevertheless, he was trying hard to win her parents' respect. Without their permission, there was no chance that Ayaka-chan would stay by him. He took heart in the fact that Ayaka's parents had not forbidden them to call each other or meet on weekends and holidays.  
  
"Oh!" Shuichi's interjection grabbed his wandering attention. "My mom's having a party on April third. She said you're invited. The party is kind of for Eiri and me, except we don't want her to fuss, but she already invited the neighbors, so we said we'd come to her party. She said to go ahead and invite my friends, and she said, 'of course Hiro has to come', and then I said, 'if Hiro comes, then I should ask Suguru, too' and she said that would be okay and . . ."  
  
Hiro nodded absently and his thoughts drifted away again. To top off his relationship woes, K, Bad Luck's manager was acting like he had a crush on Hiro. That was really weird. Hiro had had girls watch him like that, but it was disturbing to sense K's blue eyes on him in that same way. He sort-of hoped it was his imagination, even though he was pretty sure it wasn't.  
  
He finished his drink and looked at his watch. "Shuichi-kun, we should get back to the studio." He snatched some of his friend's french fries. "You should wipe that soy sauce out of your hair, too."  
  
***  
  
Back in the studio, Shuichi was bristling with creativity. He set to work with a vengence, like he did when he was trying to prove something. He had worked out some new musical scores and he revealed a new page of lyrics. They jammed a little, trying to find the right tempo and testing the combinded sounds of guitar, keyboards, and voice. Shuichi argued at full volume with Suguru about how to arrange their latest work, but everyone involved with Bad Luck was accustomed to that.  
  
They had laid out about six songs for a new CD. They would probably come up with another dozen before chosing the best of the lot and making the move to record their music. Sakano was already pushing to have them record a single to precede the album. As soon as they did that, though, K would start madly scheduling appearances for them and they'd be pushed to do another video right away . . . It was a giant snowball-effect. Hiro felt they needed a break. Shuichi was obviously refreshed, but while he'd been away, Hiro and Suguru had continued to work and improve upon what they had. Bad Luck had become so popular that they were all rushing around, trying to please an impossibly growing, adoring public.  
  
Their manager threw the door open, suddenly filling the doorway. "Big news!" K announced, in his native Americanized-English. Shu turned around and Suguru stopped mid-yell. Switching to Japanese, K said, "photo shoot tomorrow! 'Music Day' magazine wants to feature Bad Luck on their pull-out poster for the next issue!" He held up thick folders stuck full of papers, "AND . . . another company wants to sign you to a contract to make novelty items!"  
  
Suguru adjusted his keyboard's sound levels. "Novelty items?" He echoed questioningly.  
  
"Yes," K replied in English. "Coffee mugs," he said in Japanese. Raising his hands he added, "t-shirts!" His arms rose some more, "baseball caps!" With each new novelty, he arms went up another degree, "pencil boards! School folders! Keychain photos! Buttons! Posters!" He had a wide grin on his face.  
  
"Wow!" Shuichi said. "Um, K . . . you said 'another company'. Don't we already have a deal with the um, first company?"  
  
K's grin grew even bigger and his eyes shined with fanaticism. "We did! The contract with 'Pop Apparel' is up at the end of the month. 'Moonlight Entertainment' has made a better offer. A much better offer." K's eyes gleamed wickedly.  
  
Hiro spoke up, "I just won't wear pink and white and red again." Suguru nodded heavily in agreement. Then, Hiro stilled under the sudden presence of a large gun held to his head. K smiled at him over the barrel.  
  
"Yes, you will," K said.  
  
"Okay! I guess I will!" Hiro said hastily, appeasing the tall gun-toting maniac.  
  
"Good!" He clicked the safety back on the gun and pointed it up. Turning his attention toward their singer, he intoned, "You will all be in front of the NG building at 10 a.m.." Shuichi nodded frantically. K put his gun in its holster. "Good!" He slapped Hiro's shoulder and winked at the guitarist before leaving. "Bye!"  
  
"Do you think that means we're done for the day?" Shuichi wanted to know. "We did get quite a bit done."  
  
"Shindou-k— er, Shuichi-kun, let's finish this chorus piece, first," Suguru urged. He was having a hard time adjusting to not usuing Shuichi's family name. In Japan, it was mandatory that a bride change her family name to that of her husband. Shu wasn't officially changing his name, as far as Hiro knew, but he had asked close associates to stop using 'Shindou' to address him. Hiro wondered if Shu's parents were aware of that. They probably wouldn't be very happy about him giving up his family name . . .  
  
"I *told* you," Shuichi said hotly, "that chorus *has to* be done with Hiro's chord. It just doesn't sound right when you play it with the strings mode on the keyboard! Listen! Hiro play the chord." He did and Shu signaled Suguru to hit the key.  
  
Suguru's eyes narrowed in a way that let them both know he heard the difference. "But Hiro can't cover the chord while he's playing the bass part!" Suguru pointed out.  
  
"So play the bass part on the keys."  
  
"I can't play the bass part on keys at every section—"  
  
"But you can on the chorus, right?" Suguru frowned, but didn't deny it. "Let's try it!" Shuichi said enthusiastically.  
  
The switch and letting Suguru take part of the guitar's piece was a little odd for Hiro, and Shuichi's hand-written revisions were not easy to decipher, but it seemed to work. They played it through a few times until they could do it smoothly. "Looks like we have it," Hiro volunteered.  
  
Suguru frowned. "I'll work on it some more."  
  
"You can practice the changes, but it's Hiro's chord!" Shuichi insisted, shaking scribbled-on papers at him.  
  
"Alright," Suguru acknowledged. "Are both of you going, then?" They nodded. "Then I'll just finish up. What's the fan situation?"  
  
"I'll call down and ask," Hiro said. If this nonsense kept up, he'd have to stop riding his motorcycle to work. Every day last week, he'd had some girl or another hop on behind him, despite the security guys' efforts. He left the studio and went to the lounge to page the desk clerk. It was like checking the daily weather, he thought; 'very heavy rain with few fangirls in sight' or 'sunny with a thick mob of rabid, squealing fans bearing gifts'!  
  
***  
  
Author's Note: 'Moonlight Entertainment' is an honest-to-goodness concert novelty business. The other, 'Pop Apparel', is fictitious, but there is a business by the name of 'Soul Apparel'. ^_^ How do you like Hiro POV? [point-of-view]  
  
*** 


	3. Research

Disclaimer: I think it's obvious that I don't own Gravitation. I'm borrowing characters from Maki Murakami. My stories are for fun, not profit.  
  
I appreciate all criticism, so please read, enjoy, and review. To those who do review: THANK YOU!!  
  
~ Don't Eat the Dasies! ~  
  
Part 3: Research [Still Tuesday]  
  
I should be working on my book, Eiri thought. In all honesty, he was waiting for Mizuki's feedback on the outline he'd sent to her, before he went ahead with the writing. He was also toying with the idea of re-writing his books in English. Instead of working, however, he found himself researching adoption. It was a whole new world to him.  
  
First, he looked up adoption qualifications. In a 'regular adoption', the process was reletively simple, but there were no guarantees of permanancy. The child kept any ties to birth parents while living with adoptive parents. As a result, the adoption could be revoked on the whim of the natural parents. He read an article with a quote from Masahide Terazaki, of Tokyo's government Child Welfare Center, who said; "We don't encourage adoption. Only about 10 percent of the children are adopted . . .We try to get the children back to their birth families by the time they turn 16.'' [3] That was not the way Eiri wanted to go. Taking a child into their lives was not something he would do lightly— if they did. The chance of having that child taken away at any time was not an acceptable risk, in his opinion.  
  
In a 'special adoption', the adopted child came under the custody and responsibility of the adopting parents and was marked on the koseki [2] as having ties only to them. He read the requirements for special adoption. First, the child had to be under the age of six. Second, both of them had to consent— obviously. Third, he and Shu just qualified for the age minimums for a special adoption; one person had to be 25 and the other had to be at least 20. Shu had just turned 21. Fourth, the adoption had to be approved by the birth parents (if known). There was a whole group of qualifications and special cases to that one. Lastly, the child must live with the potential parents for six months before the Family Court would render final judgement.  
  
Eiri thought about that last part. Maybe it was wise, but a child shouldn't be something you could just return if things didn't work out. He frowned at his computer screen. He and Shu would both have to look at this very seriously. For his part, the obstacles weren't insurmountable, but . . . if they were abyssmal parents, the Family Court could just deny adoption. What if Shuichi became attached to the child and they were rejected as suitable parents? That would be bad.  
  
He leaned one elbow against the desk, scrolling through documents and surfing through adoption information on the internet. Children who required protection [1] were born out of wedlock, abandoned, or abused, or had parents who were unable to support them. There seemed to be plenty of them in Japan. In particular, chidren of mixed nationalities were often given up by birth parents. They became subjects of the Ward Office. They were either given to private child care facilities or to state-run orphanages. Eiri noted that as a group, such children had sorry futures and often turned toward crime once they were released as adults.  
  
Although he'd heard the term sutego, or "throwaway child", it had never occurred to him to consider the reasoning behind it. Japan harbored hundreds of these throwaway children each year. They were unclaimed or unwanted babies, whose paternal (and sometimes maternal) lineage was unknown. The children were considered 'stateless'. They had no identity and no country. Without any pedigree, or proof of parental identity, the government would not even issue a birth certificate! They were easy to take in, because no one wanted them, but difficult to adopt, since they had no status and no paperwork.  
  
Japanese, in general, did not readily adopt other people's children. Lineage was too important. They were doubly unwilling to accept sutego. The concept bothered Eiri, but he didn't feel that it was his job to save the world one kid at a time, and discarded the option coldly. Although he wasn't patriotic, by any means, he still felt cold at the thought of a person who had no registered place of origin, no roots, and no parents.  
  
A logical, calculating portion of his brain thought he might make use this information in another book plot. He grabbed a clean sheet of paper and made some notes. He made a new bookmark file on his internet browser and started saving 'web sites as he explored the adoption process.  
  
If he decided to go through with this . . . He sat back in his chair and had a drink of tea, asking himself, "Am I ready for this?" The idea of having a heir was appealing to him, in a vague, distant sort of way. If they adopted, he would never get an heir that looked like him or Shuichi, which was a shame. A combonation of his genes and Shu's would be something! Also impossible. Eiri sighed. Even modern bio-chemical engineering needed a woman for the process to work. He set his teacup back on the desk with a soft click.  
  
Was Shuichi capable of handling the responsibility of a child? It was a highly debatable subject. Why did Shu want a child in the first place? Was it a matter of pining for normalcy? Appeasing his parents? Eiri shook his head. He would have to do more digging in Shu's mind before he could assure himself that his husband would be doing this for the right reasons.  
  
A child would mean big changes. They might need a bigger apartment. Finances were not a problem, Eiri thought practically. However, Shu probably had no idea how to take care of a baby. When Tatsuha was born, Eiri had paid scant attention to baby things, although his sister, Mika, had taken an interest. Of course, they didn't have to adopt an infant— just a child under the age of six.  
  
They *could* do it . . . Noriko, of Nittle Grasper had more than one kid and she seemed fully capable of putting in the required hours for concerts and studio time as well as balancing family. He wondered how old her kids were? Eiri knew of plenty of writers with kids at home. They seemed to manage just fine. Families were natural occurances, after all. He couldn't imagine taking a child on concert tours or book signings, however. Maybe Mika would be willing to play nanny?  
  
Hmmm. Some adoption agencies would not work with same-sex couples. When only 10% of the children were being adopted, one would think they'd be more willing to find good homes for children, no matter what the parents' gender was, Eiri thought. Institutional policies did not necessitate logic, unfortunately.  
  
Another thing to consider was that agencies typically interviewed not only the prospective parents, but also the extended families, including grandparents. It seemed everyone would be on trial. Would Shu's parents get excited about grandchildren who were not blood related? He supposed they should find out those answers, too, before persuing adoption.  
  
And then there was the complication of the media . . . Eiri rubbed his forehead. When they had come home, the answering machine had been full of interview requests from tv and radio. Mizuki said she'd had several calls at work, too.  
  
There were still too many questions and not enough answers. He filled out a couple of online offers from local adoption agencies for 'more information by mail'. There was still no e-mail response from Mizuki, he noted.  
  
Since 2002, the koseki records were kept on computer and he needed to make the change of his own newly-married status. He printed the alteration request form directly from the government 'web page. He had to look up the address of the the office in Kyoto, since he'd never bothered to transfer the koseki to Tokyo. He wasn't sure why, but a part of him still considered Kyoto 'home'. He glanced at the clock. He had time to get it in the mail today before the mail carrier came. Eiri shut down the computer and filled out the form. He sealed it in an envelope, along with an official copy of their marriage certificate and went out to the mailbox.  
  
***  
  
"I'm hooooommme!" Shuichi called. There was no response, but that hardly stopped him. "Eiri?" He set the grocery bags on the floor and slipped his shoes off. Eiri wasn't in the study, but the computer screen was still crackley and his chair was still warm. There were some notes next to the keyboard and the word 'adoption' caught his eye. A warm feeling spilled through him. Was Eiri actually considering having kids with him??  
  
"Eiri??" Shuichi called again. He walked back into the foyer, noting that Eiri's shoes were gone. He checked the closet-- his coat was still there. It was a little too cold to go out without a coat, in Shu's opinion. Still, if Eiri was having trouble with his writing, or thinking hard, he might leave without a coat. Shu shrugged, thinking he shouldn't be gone long.  
  
He picked up the grocery bags, swinging them and letting them spin by their handles on his way to the kitchen. He started singing, just to fill the house with sound. Eiri always kept it so quiet, he thought. Since he was alone, he tried some variations on the lyrics for the song he was working on for his husband. Shu felt his face curl up in a silly grin. It felt good saying that— a little strange, maybe— but really good. He tossed the cold stuff in the 'fridge. I just wish everybody else could be happy for us, he thought. Even Hiro had been looking at him listlessly over lunch when he'd tried explaining how joyously happy he was and how much making this song for Eiri meant to him.  
  
He hoped Eiri would understand it. Well, Eiri usually understood it, he just didn't like to say it. So instead, he said stuff like, "it's worse than the last one," or "I don't know why Bad Luck's music is still so popular." Shu smirked. It was Eiri's expression that gave away his true feelings. It was the slight quirk to the corner of his lips, or the lightness in his golden eyes. Sometimes, when he really liked the song, Eiri kissed him and said something like, "you could work on that trash for weeks and it wouldn't come out any better." Shuichi was hoping for that kind of reaction this time. He chuckled to himself, shelving the new box of rice and the pocky.  
  
It was just about 4:30 and Eiri wouldn't be expecting him for another two hours. Shu wondered where he went. Eiri always called him nosy when he asked, but he was just curious. Well, that, and concerned. He thought Eiri enjoyed hiding stuff from him, especially important stuff like doctor visits. Shu frowned and grabbed some pocky, munching it as he walked into the living room and clicked on his computer. He would watch his beloved carefully for signs of ill health when he returned.  
  
Shu picked up the tv remote and popped it on. Some band he didn't recognize was playing on the music video channel. After about four seconds, he decided he didn't like the song. He browsed his favorite channels with the attention span of a gerbil. Thirty seconds later, he decided there was nothing good on tv.  
  
"Hi, Shuichi!" Sakuma Ryuichi's voice greeted him from his computer's speakers.  
  
"Hi, Ryu-kun!" He answered jauntily, waving to his computer. "Ooo, laundry!" he reminded himself out loud. He ran through the hallway into the small laundry room and put a waiting load of clothes in the washer with a carefully measured amount of soap and turned it on. Just because he had once put waaaaay too much soap in the washer, Eiri had become really picky about him measuring the soap instead of just pouring it into the machine. Shu pouted, remembering the mess that had resulted from that.  
  
Coming back to the living room, he turned the tv off and called up his music program. Even though his husband— 'husband!' he chuckled to himself— wasn't home yet, he put on the earphones and plugged them in. Tuning his focus, he started putting together the sounds that would best convey his love. This song will be the best yet, he thought determinedly!  
  
***  
  
[1] "Children who require protection" is how Japanese law labels what English-speakers would call an orphan. It's really just a polite euphemism.  
  
[2] koseki is the family registry. It is kept by the family's local Ward Office and holds all familial records of birth, adoption, marriage, divorce, or death. Most Japanese leave koseki data in the Ward Office of their birthplace home.  
  
[3] actual quote: Cited on "Adoptionnews" website in an article by Booyean Lee.  
  
***  
  
Author's Notes: If you've read my other fics, you will have guessed that the adoption info. and qualifications are all true, and you'd be right! I try to base fiction in reality and get the details right. I'm glad it shows through. :-)  
  
That's it for fanfiction, folks. Again, I urge adults to read the rest at gurabiteshiyon.net. 


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